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Our people: We’re all here to help more Kiwis beat bowel cancer

Read on to learn more about our hard-working team, board members, medical advisors and patron

Our Team | Our Board | Medical Advisors | Our Patron

Our Team

Peter Huskinson

Chief Executive

Meet Peter

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Mary Bradley

Communications & Campaigns Manager

Meet Mary

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Victoria Thompson

Nurse Support Coordinator

Meet Victoria

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Jo Morgan

Grants & Partnerships Manager

Meet Jo

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Odessa Weber

Finance and Support Administrator

Meet Odessa

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Melissa Konings

Communications Coordinator

Meet Melissa

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Jo Morgan

Grants & Partnerships Manager

Using over 20 years of experience with not-for-profits, Jo’s skills have enabled us to apply for, and win, significant funding – meaning we can help more New Zealanders with bowel cancer than we would otherwise.

Sadly, cancer has touched the lives of many of Jo’s friends and family with a close friend passing away from bowel cancer only a few years ago. So for Jo, working for Bowel Cancer NZ is not just about raising money to support those with bowel cancer, it’s also about raising awareness. With the hope that future generations will be free from its impact.

“At Bowel Cancer New Zealand we’re an amazing team. We’ve all got our individual strengths and when we work together the results are outstanding. It’s such a great feeling knowing that I play a part in helping to save lives”

Odessa Weber

Finance and Support Administrator

After 10 years working in the Financial Services industry in London, Odessa moved to New Zealand with an extensive knowledge of the finance industry and a desire to channel this into something more meaningful and rewarding.

Odessa’s role as our Finance and Support Administrator enables her to do exactly this.

Her days are packed with “a little bit of everything” and she’s really proud of the role she plays in supporting the rest of the team in our mission to raise awareness of Bowel Cancer and to offer support.

“In this role, I really feel like I’m giving something back, as the advice and support we give can be lifesaving. For me, that’s life changing!”

Melissa Konings

Communications Coordinator

With 10 years of experience in digital marketing, Melissa has worked with both private sector companies and nonprofit organisations. She brings skills in social media management, SEO, and content creation to her role at Bowel Cancer NZ.

As the Communications Coordinator, Melissa manages content, runs social media, and engages with the community. She’s excited to be part of such a meaningful cause that helps raise awareness of bowel cancer and supports those affected by it.

“After having a health scare myself this year, I realised how important it is to raise awareness about bowel cancer. I was lucky, but not everyone is, and I’m proud to use my skills to help make a difference.”

Melissa Konings

Communications Coordinator

“After having a health scare myself this year, I realised how important it is to raise awareness about bowel cancer. I was lucky, but not everyone is, and I’m proud to use my skills to help make a difference.”

Mary Bradley

Communications & Campaigns Manager

Mary is in charge of making sure our mission and message gets out to as many people as possible. It’s something that’s close to home for Mary as she was diagnosed with bowel cancer herself when she was only 28 and just had her first baby.

18 years later and Mary is officially a grateful bowel cancer survivor with two more children.

Now as our Communications Manager, Mary oversees our successful and impactful awareness campaigns. Over the past few years, these campaigns have encouraged the public to ‘Not sit on their symptoms’, made them aware they’re ‘Never too young’ and directed them to ‘Get off their butt’!

The words used in these campaigns may be tongue-in-cheek, but the messages are deadly serious.

“Bowel Cancer NZ is a loud and effective voice and we need to be!” Mary says. “Bowel cancer is treatable if it’s caught early and I love being part of an organisation that is making such a difference.”

Victoria Thompson

Nurse Support Coordinator

Victoria is our vital point of contact for patients and families, providing emotional and practical support to individuals and their whānau affected by bowel cancer. Her reassuring and expert help ensures that those with bowel cancer – whether newly diagnosed or further on in their care – are given the right info and are asking the right questions of the right people.

After a busy career as a community palliative care nurse, Victoria was ready for a change and her role at Bowel Cancer New Zealand is a perfect fit for her skills and empathetic nature. “Stories are my thing,” Victoria says;

“I have a background in walking alongside people on a difficult journey and sharing both good and bad times with them.”

Education is another important part of Victoria’s job, and a typical week often sees her delivering talks and information sessions to community groups and corporate gatherings. “It’s so important that we all learn more about bowel cancer and what to be aware of, every person who knows what to look for is potentially another life saved and I’m proud to be part of that.”

Peter Huskinson

Chief Executive

Peter leads a diverse team – all working together to reduce the impact of bowel cancer.

For two decades Peter worked as a senior health leader in New Zealand and the UK, leading a regional public sector health organisation serving 4 in 10 New Zealanders. He has delivered successful initiatives to strengthen and redesign cancer services for patients, and improve access to timely care.

In the UK Peter worked to secure nationwide access to innovative new medicines for cancer and rare diseases. He holds a masters in Health Economics, Policy and Management from London School of Economics and a degree Business Administration.

Peter says, “Whether you are one of the 66 Kiwis who received a bowel cancer diagnosis this week, or have been living with the impact of cancer for months or years, a growing range of free help and support is available from Bowel Cancer New Zealand. It is a privilege to be able to serve you and stand with you.”

Our Board

Stefan Corbett

Chair

Meet Stefan

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Annika Lim

Deputy Chair

Meet Annika

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Kevin Jones

Treasurer

Meet Kevin

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Rachel Afeaki Taumoepeau

Meet Rachel

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Linda Faulkner

Meet Linda

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Jemma Balmer

Meet Jemma

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Mike Killick

Meet Mike

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Edward Watson

Meet Edward

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Stefan Corbett

Chairperson

Stefan is the Chair of our Board and likes to joke that he’s been, “in a bit of a scrap with bowel cancer for a few years now.” Since his diagnosis and treatment, he’s been on a mission to help the organisation grow and he brings significant leadership skills from his work as a former New Zealand Diplomat, trade negotiator and international legal adviser.

Stefan was keen to share his experience as he felt he really needed to speak out about what happened to him. Stefan had delayed going to see a doctor when he first noticed symptoms and admits that if he’d acted earlier, and GPs had listened better, things could have been very different.

After a year as an ambassador for Bowel Cancer New Zealand, Stefan was invited onto the board and after a few years, became our Board Chair. “I’m delighted to be in the position to be able to help the organisation to grow and be more effective, it’s such a privilege to work here and with the team we’ve got. It’s not something I’d ever imagined I’d be doing but here I am, and now I’m hooked.”

Annika Lim

Deputy Chair

Annika has been a firm supporter of Bowel Cancer New Zealand since we opened our doors in 2010 and became a board member in 2019. Her professional background in law and governance, with over 15 years’ experience at top-tier law firms and banks in New Zealand and overseas, adds a vital and much appreciated skill to our organisation.

However, it’s Annika’s own journey through breast cancer that drives her strong desire for better outcomes for those with bowel cancer.

“I now see things through a different lens since having breast cancer, it’s made me so aware of the heart-breaking inequity in diagnosis, treatment and outcomes between different kinds of cancer. It is a privilege and luck that I can call myself a survivor. I want better for those with bowel cancer, especially as it’s such a treatable and beatable cancer, if caught early.”

“I’m ever hopeful and I’m really honoured to lend my experience and voice to the incredible kaupapa of Bowel Cancer New Zealand.”

Kevin Jones

Treasurer

Kevin’s career as a Senior Project Manager in the corporate world means he’s the perfect person to keep an eye on the numbers and make sure projects are delivered on time and within budget.

Kevin’s been on the board of Bowel Cancer New Zealand since 2017 and has a keen focus on increasing our income as he knows how vital this is. “The more money coming in means the more we can spend on getting that really important message out there: bowel cancer can be preventable, beatable and treatable.”

Kevin’s wife has a family member with a history of bowel cancer and this has always driven his desire to give something back to the charity. His personal experience, combined with his experience and skill with numbers means Kevin was a natural fit for another role – Chairman of our Audit and Risk Committee.

Rachel Afeaki Taumoepeau

Board Member

Rachel is a strong advocate for bowel cancer information and advice for Pasifika and Māori communities after losing her mother to bowel cancer and then her father being diagnosed with the disease after a colonoscopy just five years later.

Thankfully her father survived, and this meant Rachel had experienced two very different outcomes of bowel cancer as a family member. She wanted others to benefit from what she’d learned and know that it’s ok to push for referrals and for answers.

Rachel’s professional background is rooted in strategic business management, governance operations and advocacy in the community sector. All of this puts her in an excellent position to make sure Bowel Cancer New Zealand’s message reaches deep into communities and cultures where embarrassment, stigma and even a lack of the right language has put people at a disadvantage.

“Bowel cancer can happen to anyone…. of any culture, any background and almost any age. But caught early, like with my father, it can be treated. I want everyone to hear that and to know what to look out for.”

Linda Faulkner

Board Member

A career in policy, and a desire to share her governance experience, attracted Linda to the board of Bowel Cancer New Zealand. And as a bowel cancer survivor, Linda is also living proof that you can never be “too young” to have the disease. Diagnosed at just 30, Linda feels very fortunate that it was picked up early and she had surgery within two weeks. Thankfully she’s been clear of cancer ever since.

A broad and diverse range of skills and people makes for a successful board in any organisation and we are delighted to have Linda’s particular experience in supporting Māori in policy decision making.

Like all of us at Bowel Cancer New Zealand, Linda welcomes the “fantastic news” from the budget that the bowel screening age for Māori and Pasifika people will be lowered from 60 to 50 years old starting in 2023.

Jemma Balmer

Board Member

Jemma joined our board towards the end of 2022 and brings a fresh face plus a wealth of experience in fundraising with a professional background in coaching not-for-profits.

Jemma’s proud to be volunteering her time as a trustee with Bowel Cancer New Zealand as sadly, family experience has already brought her close to it. “This cruel disease took my grandfather’s life and is the second highest cause of cancer death in New Zealand. I want to be part of changing that.”

“I’m honoured to be part of an incredible organisation with passionate people that are aware of the inequities of who bowel cancer affects within New Zealand and can do something about it. I’m particularly excited about supporting the work the whole team does in that area.”

Mike Killick

Board Member

Mike joined the board of Bowel Cancer New Zealand in September 2024 and brings a skillset of governance, executive management and organisational growth to the board. This skillset has been gained across a number of different sectors and from both commercial and not-for-profit organisations. Having direct experiences in organisations ranging from start-ups through to over $300m in turnover, Mike knows about the challenges and opportunities that exist with all types of organisations.

Although Mike has not experienced cancer himself, he has seen the impact it has had on his family, friends and colleagues and the journey they have gone through – some who succeeded in this journey and some who did not.

In recent years, Mike has decided to try and do something about this so he is now focused solely on the healthcare sector within his professional life. Mike says, “I love to solve problems and thinking of new ways to solve these problems. Maybe some outside and different thinking from other sectors can help the healthcare sector solve the challenges seen here in NZ. Bowel cancer is one of the problems, and I want to help, so that is why I am here at Bowel Cancer New Zealand”.

Edward Watson

Board Member

Edward Joined the board in September 2024. He is a physician and an experienced clinical trialist. Edward also has a long history of board governance and strategy. Currently he is CEO of Aotearoa Clinical Trials based at Middlemore Hospital in Counties Manukau, Auckland. Both of his parents suffered from bowel cancer, and thus, he is acutely aware of the burden of this disease on both families and the individual.

A cancer survivor himself, Edward survived Stage IV Malignant melanoma due to his involvement in a novel clinical trial program from UCLA, Los Angeles, California. He is passionate about ensuring access to clinical trials for New Zealanders so they can benefit from similar cutting-edge technologies or world-leading treatments that are not otherwise available in New Zealand

Edward says, “ New Zealand is not a poor country and yet our access to world-class therapies is falling far behind other comparable countries like Australia, Canada and the UK. I hope my advocacy and involvement with Bowel Cancer New Zealand will help address this inequity and go some way to support New Zealanders in their fight against bowel cancer.”